Antwerp, Belgium
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Request QuoteFreelance journalist with 10 years experience - Focus in international politics and conflicts, human rights (racism, women’s rights), Brazilian and Spanish (particularly Basque/Catalan) politics, minority issues, and the intersection of tech and politics/human rights. I also write about culture (particularly Latin culture), music, environmental issues, literature and economy/finance.
Produced for Bloomberg Digital
Smartphone apps that collect gun violence data in Brazil help users navigate dangerous areas — but one expert warns they may magnify stigma against favela residents.
Produced for Cybernews
Twitter has decided to step up its game in the fight against misinformation with Birdwatch, but critics complain about lack of information and transparency, and remind the social media platform that other interesting anti-misinformation tools are readily available.
Indigenous communities are fundamental for the preservation of the environment, also teaching non-indigenous communities about sustainable development and agricultural production. In Brazil, a series of initiatives promoted by indigenous populations have helped reforesting devastated regions, mixing traditional knowledge with new technologies so indigenous populations can be as self-sufficient as possible. A recent study, published in November 2019, by the Environmental Science & Policy journal comparing Brazil, Australia and Canada, points to greater biodiversity in areas administered or co-administered by indigenous peoples and traditional populations. According to the authors, Richard Schuster, Ryan Germain, Peter Arcese, from the University of British Columbia; Joseph Bennett, from Carleton University; and Nicholas Reo, from Dartmouth College, collaborating with indigenous peoples, communities and organizations can help conserve biodiversity, as well as support indigenous land rights, sustainable use of resources and well-being. The finding is in line with several other studies and reports showing that indigenous communities are not only in the frontline of environment protection, but that they can also teach us about agriculture production, sustainable development, reforestation and how to live in peace and together with nature.
Produced for Business Insider
In Brazil, 55% of the population believe Facebook is the whole internet. It’s therefore no surprise the company chose the nation for a pilot that let people pay one another via its messaging service WhatsApp. Around 120 million people — accounting for more than 98% of Brazilian phones — have installed WhatsApp, giving Facebook plenty of traction in the country. Too much, said Brazil’s central bank. It pulled the plug in June, just a few days after the payment platform was launched, saying it wanted to ensure competition in the banking system. At the time, the WhatsApp payment platform had 1.5 million users and four banking partners — Banco do Brasil, Cielo, Nubank and Sicredi. Combined, they had 50 million customers to whom Facebook planned to gradually make the payment platform available. On July 31, Reuters reported that the central bank was allowing some customers to make small payments through WhatsApp again. But the bank is still assessing the future of the platform as a whole — meaning Facebook’s dream of getting hundreds of millions of people using its digital wallet is tangled in complex arguments over Brazil’s over-concentrated banking system.
One of the most unequal countries in the world, Brazil is full of contrasts. Slums exist side-by-side luxury homes. Violence is rampant, as there are few opportunities for those born into poverty. The nation once had one of the highest interest rates in the world. Today, Brazilian central bank interest rates are at about 2.250 percent. (The U.S. rate is only 0.250 percent.) But the fact that interest rates are falling year after year—reaching the lowest level in June—does not mean that consumers have access to cheaper credit. Brazil also has serious problems of functional illiteracy; many of the nation’s most vulnerable are led into debt without understanding the concept of interest rates. Consumers using the revolving credit of their credit card (when someone cannot pay the full amount of their bill on the due date) are paying, per year, fees of more than 300 percent. For bank overdrafts, the interest rates exceed 140 percent. In the face of this reality, hundreds of young YouTubers from low-income and mostly Black backgrounds have emerged to fill the gap left by a deficient educational system. Their objective: Educate the masses with basic notions of economy and finance.
Produced for Al Jazeera English - Digital
Earlier this month, a joint investigation by El Pais and The Guardian revealed that the mobile phone of the president of the Catalan regional parliament, Roger Torrent, and those of several other pro-independence politicians have been targeted with Pegasus – a spy programme developed by an Israeli company named NSO, which can only be purchased by governments and law enforcement agencies to fight crime and “terrorism”. While the investigation did not prove the Spanish government’s involvement in the apparent political espionage plot, a former NSO Group employee who spoke to Vice on condition of anonymity said Spain has been a client of the company since 2015. The revelation caused anger among Catalan politicians and activists, but it did not surprise anyone who is familiar with the Spanish state’s surveillance activities. Indeed, Madrid has long been accused of illegally spying on Catalan activists and politicians not only in the country, but throughout Europe.
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